


The tale of two empires

by AdhirajBose



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-01-26 09:07:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1682795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdhirajBose/pseuds/AdhirajBose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of the foundation of the throne of heaven in my alternative universe for Song of ice and fire, where there is a continent across the Sunset seas that sits in between Westeros and Essos. The culture of this continent is a mixture of East Asian, South Asian and Meso-american cultures of our world in the 14th century.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The tale of two empires

The Tale of two empires :

 

A hundred thousand years ago, did the first pioneers land in the middle realm. Sixty thousand years hence, they built their cities along the rivers and plains of the Sindhupriya river. The centuries passed, the thousand cities of mankind became a hundred kingdoms. Thus, began the age of kings. Sixteen great generals created sixteen Great Kingdoms. Ten in the West, four in the East and two in the central region. The most powerful of these were the kingdom of the Cao dynasty in the East and the kingdom of the Vangabhoomi in the West. For over two thousand years, the kingdoms sought to build empires through conquest. Empires would rise and fall, kingdoms would fall and re-emerge, till another king would come to follow their dream of empire. Two kings came who would build empires to end all empires.

 

Standing on the banks of the yellow river the first Cao emperor looked to the skies with his arms raised, and beckoned on heaven's guidance to unite all the lands of the middle realm. The heavens responded with a sudden gathering of the clouds. Thunder, rain and lightning followed. A bolt of lightning struck the river before him. The flow turned violent with the storm, and a sinister weapon emerged from under the river.

 

A golden spear with a banner. On one side of the banner, was the sigil of the Cao dynasty, a coiled black viper on a field of Red and on the other side, was a map of the middle realm painted black on a field of red. Cao Shan Yi took this as heaven's mandate. He crowned himself as the emperor of the world and set out on conquering the nations of the middle realm.

 

But on the other side of the realm, another ambitious young man would follow a dream of glory. On the banks of the Gyan nadi, the river of wisdom, the king of Vangabhoomi sat in meditation in search for supreme power. He sought to be invincible in battle, so that he may unify all the realms under one king, one emperor for all man. For thirty days he sat in unending meditation, his concentration unbroken. On the thirtieth day, the river deity presented herself and blessed her devotee. “You, Vijaya Sen, shall become emperor. You will be known as Ajaatshatru, the invincible one. This I shall bless you with, but not with knowledge of the supreme power. For that is in the destiny of your sons”.

 

When the king finally awoke from his long unbroken meditation, he went to his palace and summoned his ministers. “Today shall be the first day of my empire” he declared. “send this message to all the kings of Bharat Prayadwipa, there is only one king, one emperor over all these lands. They will either submit to me or perish at my hands”.

 

 

Thus, the middle realm would see the rise of two young emperors, and their empires. The empire of the West and the empire of the East. One by one the sixteen kingdoms of the middle realm fell to their sword. The kings who did not bow to their authority, were slain with their family. The ferocity of Cao Shan Yi was matched with the ruthless cunning of Vijaya Sen, and his legendary advisor, Acharya Chanak. In a span of twenty years they had united Bharat Prayadwipa in the South West and the lands of Qin in the East. Only one kingdom stood in their way, which lay between the two empires.

 

What the emperors could not achieve in their lifetimes, their sons would seek to fulfill. In the mad drive to power, the lone independent kingdom by the foothills of the snow mountains, the kingdom of Rasa-la, was besieged east and west. Yet every time the armies would come, they would smash their strength against the hill forts of Rasa-la. Thus, near a century had passed, the hill kingdom of Rasa-La survived three emperors from the West and five emperors of the East. The fourth emperor of Qin and the sixth emperor Bharat, each decided they would fulfill the task their fathers could not.

 

Emboldened by new weapons of death invented by the guild of alchemists, Emperor Cao Ze of the Cao empire in the East, and Emperor Lakshya Sen of the Sen empire in the West, set out to conquer Rasa-La.

 

From the East, the emperor gathered a grand army of half a million soldiers armed with steel bows, incendiary grenades, and curved swords made of dragon-steel. With them was a cavalry force of chariots, war elephants and a hundred and fifty dragons. From the East, the emperor gathered a force to match, seven hundred thousand foot soldiers, armed with muskets, repeat firing crossbows, and long lances. With them, a cavalry force of horse archers, lancers and two hundred dragons. Both sides, brought with them a thousand cannons. Their new weapon of death to fulfill their father's and forefather's dream of conquest.

 

The army of Lakshya sen landed in the plains of Teral in the South. Village after village was plundered and ravaged as the army marched its way to the unconquered fort of Duongyo on the southern hills. Till now, the armies of Rasa-La had always sheltered behind the walls of Duongyo and defeated invaders, taking advantage of the terrain. Perched upon a hill guarding the pass to the main city of Rasa in the valley of roses, the fort sat on the only passable route leading to the capital of Rasa-La. But this time, the Divine king of Rasa-La, King Ri had made a fatal mistake. Having learnt of the brutality of the Sen emperor on the peasants of Teral, he marched his army down to meet him in open battle. The army from the East fell on them with a vengeance.

 

The host of Ri, was decimated and the king slain by emperor Sen's own war elephant. Most of those who tried to flee the battle were captured and enslaved, but a chosen few were allowed to run back and tell the tale of slaughter. How fire and thunder rained an explosive death on their army on the plains of Teral. With the messenger was the body of the slain King Ri. The king's body was so badly mauled it was near impossible to recognize him. Most said, this was but a trick of the Sen emperor, trying to subdue Rasa-La with cunning where might would fail. But it was the ring on his middle finger in the right hand which gave away his identity.

 

When the truth was known the royal family was devastated. The newly crowned king of Rasa-La, was too young to rule, and the death of their father unnerved them. The court of Rasa-La, signed the treaty of surrender to the Sen emperor. The Queen was affected more than anyone else. She succumbed to the burden of the grief of losing her beloved husband. With her dying breath she put a curse on the conquerors who came “For the sorrow you gave me, you shall lose all those you love. You too shall wallow in grief.”

 

Thus, ended the resistance of Rasa-La and the Sen emperor marched its way North unopposed.

 

The news of this victory had not gone unnoticed in the East. The army of emperor Cao Ze had just entered the western plain of Teral, moving at a slower pace than the army of Lakshya Sen. Within a fortnight they would be occupying the fort of Duongyo. If that happened, the Sen would have the kingdom of Rasa-La. He would not let the Sen emperor snatch this glory from him. Against the advice of his brothers and generals, Emperor Cao Ze began a campaign of forced marches to meet the host the Sen emperor before he could fortify. The plan succeeded. On the thirteenth day of the march, the two armies met on the banks of the Me river with the hill where it clears from the Duongyo hills.

 

Here, on the plains of the Me river, the greatest battle of the age would be fought.

 

The spies of the Sen Emperor had already warned of the approaching enemy two nights before. They would not have enough time to march up to Duongyo and fortify it in preparation of the enemy's coming. The only alternative was to build up defenses around the camp they had settled. The prisoners of war were put to work, building the fortification in preparation of the attack by Cao Ze. The Cao emperor had split up his forces in two, two hundred of his foot soldiers and cavalry would sail upstream on the Me river on paddle boats, while the main force would march along the rice road by the canals of to the South bank of the Me river. In response, the Sen emperor had built a cannon wall of wood to bombard the approaching enemy from the river. When the boats approached the enemy camp from the South, they saw in bewilderment, the military wonder that was the brainchild of Lakshya Sen's younger brother. General Vikram Sen.

 

The battle began at the break of dawn, when the first ships had come in view of the cannoneers. Dragons flew from the skies and bombarded the sailors with fire and the cannons destroyed whatever ships came in range. Emperor Cao Ze looked with horror as thousands of his men burned in the inferno that engulfed his grand armada. In desperation he unleashed his own dragon force to deal with the threat from above. He placed his cannons near the banks of the river aimed at the cannon wall. Cao Ze ordered the bombardment of the enemy camp.

 

The day was drenched in the sounds of cannon and the fire of dragons. Never before, had such a battle been seen. Hundreds of dragons were seen fighting in the skies over the hills and waters of the Teral. Like thunder comes after lightning, in this battle, the fiery bolts of the dragons came in unision with the thundering roar of cannons. Together they played an ominous song of death. As this song played, the Me river would be drenched in blood and fire. When the battle had ended, death was everywhere, charred corpses, slain dragons, and the piles of wood from the wreckage of Qin paddle boats.

 

The first battle, saw the deaths of hundreds of dragons and their riders. Among the dead, was Emperor Lakshya Sen's firstborn son, a boy of sixteen, Hirak Sen. The loss of his most beloved son, had shaken the emperor. Was this the consequence of his karma that he must lose his beloved, for the death he brought to King Ri ? Of all the sons he orphaned, of all the wives he widowed, and the mothers who would have lost their son ? For this war he brought on his own people and of the people of Rasa-la? But sorrow gave way to anger. Standing over the charred body of Hirak Sen exclaimed unsheathing his sword “The death of my son will not be in vain. I will avenge him!” He would be only the first of the royal family to die in this battle.

 

The dragons of the Bharat were outnumbered but not outmatched by those of the Qin. Hundred and fifty dragons fought against two hundred. Only a dozen survived, six of those belonging to the Sen army and six belonging to the Qin. With the collapse of the cannon wall, the ships of the Qin could move unhindered, but of the two thousand ships which had set sail, there would be only five hundred which would survive the first encounter. They were enough to board fifty thousand at a time. The crossing was made across the wide expanse of the Me river. It was a victory for the Qin that day, but one which was painful.

 

Now the fight would be man to man, soldier against soldier. The Sen army had the advantage of the high ground. More fortifications were made further inland, where grenadiers would hurl exploding bombs on the oncoming soldiers from below, but the Qin showed they had the advantage in numbers and resources. Despite their losses, Emperor Cao Ze's resolve remained strong. He kept advancing his troops on to the enemy encampment. The emperor's resolve was a source of almost fanatical strength for his men. He was a king they loved as much as they feared. However, the devotion of the Sen army was every bit a match. The martyrdom of Hirak Sen only strengthened their determination to fight and avenge their prince's death.

 

The elephants of the middle realm were unlike those in the other realms of the world. Having lived with dragons, these creatures grew hides twice as strong and assumed a size twice as big. They were indeed the only creatures which could withstand dragon fire. The first emperor of Maagadh was the first to armor his elephants making the creatures virtually impregnable. Nothing short of a cannon shot could bring down these beasts. The men of Bharat were experts at training these creatures, and the war elephants of the Sen army were the best trained, and best armed cavalry divisions in the middle realm. Emperor Sen had held them in reserve, under the command of his most aggressive general, Shakti Nag.

 

The second day of battle began with the landing of the Qin cavalry, the pride of the Qin army. Against them the Sen army deployed its grenadiers and iron bowmen, shielded from behind a palisade wall. In reserve would be the shock force under the command of General Shakti Nag.

 

On the second day, both sides underestimated the strength of the other. The fighting of the day before had led them to presume, the other side had 'burned out' its strength. They could not have been more wrong. The landing of a force of six thousand lancers across the North bank of the Me river had been met with three thousand grenadiers and four thousand archers. The Cavalry were undeterred and kept their advance regardless. When it seemed as they would succeed in breaching the walls, the tide turned.

 

The earth had begun to shake, and a massive cloud of dust seemed to be approaching the attackers from the West. Under the cover of cannon fire from both sides, a force of almost four hundred elephants descended on the soldiers. The very scent of elephants were known to drive horses mad and so it was in this battle, that horses succumbed to the brute strength of elephants. The moment the elephants came in sight of the cavalry lancers, they horses whinnied and threw their riders back. Even the best trained riders could not force the creatures to charge against the elephants. The Qin cavalry lancers, the pride of the Qin empire's military might, fell against the might elephants.

 

Their weapons seemed futile against these armored behemoths, led by General Shakti Nag and emperor Lakshya Sen himself. The element of surprise was on the side of the Sen army, making their victory complete. The combined forces of the elephant, grenadiers and iron archers smashed the attacking host. Men and horses alike were trampled under the weight of these beasts, their bodies crushed to a pulp. Those who were fortunate enough to escape the wrath of the elephants would either be blasted by grenades, or pierced by volleys of arrows.

 

The first landing became a disastrous route for the Qin, the second wave was sent this time of infantry. This too was beaten back. The fighting went on as long as the sun shone across the sky, when evening begun to approach, a fear gripped the Qin camp. Cao Ze's second son, Cao Shan Yi II, took the leadership of the attack and rallied the infantry behind him.

 

Cao Shan Yi II held the golden spear of Cao Shan Yi, the first emperor of the Qin and said to his men “The heaven had given their mandate over six decades ago, when my great grandfather, and your grandfather, the Great Cao Shan Yi had raised this golden spear from the Golden river. We are destined to rule this realm father, why should we fear death ? Why should we cower before this false emperor who seeks to take what rightfully belongs to us ? This spear holds the truth, of what this battle will yield. Our victory has been mandated by the Gods, so in heaven's name I say we march !” Cao Ze had never been more proud of his son than at that moment, when he showed that he was worthy of the name Cao Shan Yi.

 

The third wave of infantry attack was launched when the skies were turning red with the setting sun. The bleeding skies seem to have foreshadowed the bloodshed on the earth. Under the command of Cao Shan Yi II, fifty thousand soldiers had landed creating, a force made up mainly of musketeers and long lances. Behind them were the cannons of the Qin, now repositioned, Cao Shan Yi II would trap the defenders and break the strength of their elephants. The defenders were already wearing out, and Cao Shan Yi II ensured that this last wave of attack would be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

 

Fifty thousand musketeers and long lancers had set up defensive positions along the bank of the river and fired volley after volley on the the elephant divisions. The musketeers were leading them into the range of the cannons. Volley after volley was fired, bringing the great beasts to heel. Even with the full impact of a cannon shot, the elephants had not died. They were injured, they stumbled, they staggered, but they still kept fighting. The armor had made the already strong hides of the war elephants well nigh impregnable. Even so, no beast is completely invincible, the war elephants too have their weakness. Cannons and fire are an elephant's bane. This was proven in the battle for Rasa-La. Of the four hundred elephants which had been mobilized to destroy the ranks of Qin infantry, three hundred had succumbed to cannon fire and volleys of muskets.

 

More were summoned from the reserve. Despite their best efforts, the elephants did manage to break the infantry line and push ahead against the attackers. The third wave too seemed to fail before the might of elephants. Then something happened, that was not expected. Against the setting sun, when darkness seemed to beckon, six large faint shadows appeared. The surviving dragons of the Qin had appeared on the horizon. Fires started to rain down on the elephants some of the wooden fortresses on their backs had caught fire, killing the mahouts and sending the beasts into a frenzy. The elephants started to turn on their own, attacking the chariots and lancers who had joined in the push against the attackers. Emperor Lakshya's elephant had succumbed to cannon fire and musket volleys by now, and he had retreated together with the other elephants to higher ground.

 

The scene on the battle ground was one of sheer chaos. Men fighting over corpses of their slain horses, and soldiers. Elephants charging in a maddened suicidal charge on all sides, and behind it all, the thundering of cannons and the shrieks of dragons. The last cannon shot of the day, would be its most significant. As fate would have it, the author of this surprising victory, prince Cao Shan Yi II would fall to that very last cannon shot. His left hand blown away. That one death seemed to change the battle once again, as the Sen army reformed under the leadership of General Vikram Sen, attacked with a cavalry division. When night fell, the conch shell was blown signalling the end of the day's fighting. Victory belonged to the Sen now, Emperor Lakshya Sen had his revenge, but revenge is a never ending cycle.

 

In the camp of the Cao emperor, the defeated army was counting its dead. Across both banks of the Mother river, were lit the funeral pyre of the fallen. Sixty thousand had died in the day's fighting. Across the horizon, the fire of death seemed to light this night of sorrow. That night, the emperor sat brooding in his tent, never sleeping, never leaving. The loss of his younger son pained him in ways no man could know. He was a man who did his best to suppress feelings of sorrow or joy. These he believed to be signs of weakness in a man. “A king must be above feelings. For he must never waiver in his judgments”. These were the words passed on in the Cao dynasty, from Cao Shan Yi to the present emperor Cao Ze, and Cao Ze had passed on this wisdom to his two sons. But it was Cao Shan Yi II who had truly absorbed this lesson. He was crafted in the image of his father.

 

He held the golden spear of the Cao dynasty, the final proof of that heaven's mandate had ruled that the Cao dynasty would be emperor of all the Middle realm. In the dead of night he walked out of his tent with spear in hand. He saw the view of the riverbank before him, littered with funeral pyres some still burning. There, the words of his son came to haunt him “The heaven had given their mandate over six decades ago, when my great grandfather, and your grandfather, the Great Cao Shan Yi had raised this golden spear from the Golden river. We are destined to rule this realm father, why should we fear death ? Why should we cower before this false emperor who seeks to take what rightfully belongs to us ? This spear holds the truth, of what this battle will yield. Our victory has been mandated by the Gods, so in heaven's name I say we march !”

 

At that moment, sorrow and doubt gave way to anger. The iron resolve would not break. The Cao Dynasty, who had conquered all the lands of the East, shall conquer all lands in the West as well. So it was that the Qin armies prepared for another day of battle. The Sen army would be prepared to face their challenge.

 

The next day, the sun shone on a misty morning. The stench of death and devastation had engulfed the air. Through the mist one could still see evidence of the wreckage of ships and the mangled bodies of corpses hanging from broken sterns. Here an arm, there a severed head, a half burnt torso with its limbs torn apart, the man's head still on his shoulders. The grisly sight of war. This was the sight that greeted the wandering ascetic dragon-seer, Rishi satyavrat.

 

In the months before the war, Rishi Satyavrat had visited the court of the Sens and the court of Qin. The ascetic was a revered man throughout the realm, as all dragon-seers are, but Rishi Satyavrat was a seer like none other before him. It is said, that the heavenly dragons had chosen him to fulfill a special purpose in this realm. It was prophesied that at a time of great wars and conquerors there would come a prophet of peace, who would usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity. Most believed Rishi Satyavrat to be that chosen man. It is said, that he could feel the pains of men thousands of leagues away. He could hear their cries and feel their sorrow, for it was in his nature to heal them of their pain.

 

One day when he was in meditation, he saw a terrible vision of the future. Hundreds of thousands of men leaving their teary eyed families and their villages to go to battle for their emperor. Of wailing widows and weeping mothers, who lost husbands and children. Of lovers who lost their men on the plains of Teral. Of a woman so overcome with grief she lost the will to live, who with her dying breath gave a curse upon the conquering emperors. Of two emperors, once brilliant, young and ambitious, who dwelled in their empty palaces as old withered men, like grey ghosts. Then finally, the sight most horrifying presented itself before him. The plains of the Me river, its banks filled with corpses and broken wreckage of once grand ships. Carrion crows fed on the flesh of dead animals, dragons, horses and elephants. One corpse lay along the bank of the river mangled by a long lance. As he approached it, the corpse turned its head and looked back. His eyes were gouged out of his socket and his cheeks scarred and his left hand missing. When he opened his mouth to speak no word came out but a soft hiss.

 

The Rishi broke from his meditation then, he had understood what the future would be, now he must prevent it. For this, he visited the court of the two Emperors, pleading that they give up their mad dream for power, that they shed their false ambition, which would lead to the ruin of their people and of themselves. His advice had worked once before when he narrowly prevented a grand war taking place between the two empires as their armies had met across the Me river. The Qin empire was ruled by Cao Yan, the father of Cao Ze and the Sen empire was ruled Ballall Sen, the father of Lakshya Sen. But what had worked for the fathers, did not work for the son. Cao Ze and Lakshya Sen, blamed their fathers for showing weakness in making peace. The fire that burned in their hearts yearned for war and battle, that fire, never went out. Rishi Satyavrat knew then, that these princes would rekindle the flames of war, and it would be twice as hard to make peace.

 

As the dragon-seer walked through the desolation of battle, he could see his vision coming to life in all its gory horror. Broken bits of wreckage from the ships which were sunk, great wood walled fortifications, broken palisades with mangled corpses hanging from them. The overwhelming stench of death surrounding him. The morning mists had somehow made it all seem a lot more ominous.

 

To the South bank of the river bend he could see the vast encampment of the Qin Empire, and to its North embracing a large hillock was the fortified encampment of the Sen empire.

 

He stood and watched both armies preparing for another day of battle. From the North a division of artillery faced the enemy from a wooden wall. In the South, another division of Qin cavalry moved forward. To kill a dragon-seer was the gravest of all sins in the middle realm, all men knew this. He walked passed between the two armies untouched by either side. The sight of a man walking passed wearing saffron robes and sporting a long walking stick, made them stop on their heels. There would be no fighting in the sight of dragon-seers. The Rishi made his way to the South camp to meet Emperor Cao Ze.

 

In his tent, Cao Ze and Rishi Satyavrat sat and discussed alone. They would be there for three hours. Those near the tent at the time, would report angry shouts and admonitions from the emperor. The two argued, though it sounded only as though it was the emperor truly arguing. The rishi's voice was soft and gentle throughout, never once did he let anger express itself. The Rishi emerged from the camp disappointed and said, that he will now be visiting the enemy's camp. “If the sons of Bharat have shown it has honor by not attacking us while I was here, I expect that the sons of Qin too will show the same honour while I visit their camp.”

 

But to talk of peace would be futile. If one emperor would not lay down his arms why would the other ? Yet he had to try. The Rishi hoped if one emperor could show humanity, perhaps the other will too ? In the Sen army camp, his hope would be dashed. The Sen emperor proved even more stubborn than his Qin counterpart. Not only had he denied peace, he had secretly made provisions to destroy the Qin army in this battle. He had sent forty thousand men together with a hundred artillery pieces under the command his favorite general Shakti Nag to secure the fort of Duongyo. “This battle will go on till victory or till death. My only son sacrificed his life for me, I shall not let that have been in vain” said the emperor of Bharat. The dragon-seer replied “But will that bring back your son?” The emperor of Bharat, stood silent. Rishi Satyavrat left the Sen camp in much the same way he had left the Qin camp, sorrowful and disappointed. His last and final overture for peace had failed. The two emperors would “fight till victory or till death”.

 

This day would see battle.

 

Emperor Cao Ze had mobilized his forces for what he had declared would be the 'final charge'. He rallied the remainder of his troops, infantry, cavalry and artillery for one final charge on the Sen army. Emperor Lakshya Sen would do the same.

 

Waves after wave of troops would attempt to land on the other side of the river. Wave after wave of defenders would meet them in head on battle. The soil had been charred and bloodied with battle. The Me river had not witnessed such sorrow as it had witnessed in this battle. All of it fought for a rock fortress on a barren hill pass. All for the vain ambition of two emperors out to fulfill their forefather's visions.

 

First landed the Qin infantry, hundreds of thousands of musketeers, crossbow men and lancers. With them came the field artillery. Wave after wave of men landed. Thousands came with each landing. The defenders met them with ferocity. The remainder of the elephants were pushed in a head on charge under the leadership of General Shakti Nag. The night before when the emperor had drawn the battle plans, he and the general discussed a matter in private. General Shakti Nag had lost his son to the volleys of Cao Shan Yi II, he had died with his elephant that day. He had only two wishes to fulfill now, one that he may avenge his son's death, the other that he may die on the field of battle and join his son in the world of the dead. The emperor knew the cost of this suicidal charge, he knew that not one man who joined it would return. General Shakti Nag had told as much to his mahouts. On the field of battle, he and his men kept their word. There would be no retreat, no surrender. If the elephants retreat or go amok, they would be killed by their mahouts.

 

The army of Bharat had come with two thousand of its best trained, most lethal war elephants. After the second day of battle, only twelve hundred of them remained. After the third day, not a single fighting elephant would be left alive. Hundreds of cannons fired on either side. Where the cannon balls would strike, there would be death. Both armies had decided the cannonade would not stop till either side is utterly destroyed or routed. So the cannons kept roaring, as the men kept fighting.

 

Morning gave way to evening, but the men kept on fighting. Death came in the thundering roars of the cannon, the rumble of hoofs and elephants, the clanking of steel against steel, and the fires of dragons. The six remaining dragons faced one another for one final fight. The dragons of Bharat were smaller more agile and looked more elegant, the dragons of the Qin were larger and more powerful and appeared more threatening. In this contest between speed, agility and size neither would prove a clear winner. The agile dragons could injure and maneuver more swiftly than the larger stronger dragons, but the stronger scales of the larger dragons made each hit count less, than a single blow from a stronger dragon. Only one Qin dragon had survived the aerial fight, that dragon fell to the ground and died under the trampling foot of a war elephant.

 

The dogged resolve of the Qin would win them a beach head. They were now within striking distance of the Sen camp. Lakshya Sen rallied the chariots and charged the advancing enemy. In the meanwhile fortifications were pulled up and grenadiers positioned themselves for defense.

 

For the first time, the rules of war were broken as both armies kept fighting into the night. The burning fires from the wrecks of ships and chariots lighted the way for the soldiers, the exploding grenades and cannons too. Battles were never fought at night. Unless it was a raid or the work of stealth.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The story is still being written. Will be updated soon.


End file.
